Elevator safety device



y 5, 1936- A. PORCELLI 2,039,606

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE Filed NOV. 30, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1936.. A. PORCELLI 2,039,606

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE Filed Nov. 30, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 5, 1936 UNITE STATES PATENT Fries ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE Alfonso Porcelli, Hollis, N. Y.

Application November 30, 1935, Serial No. 52,424

8 Claims.

safety device for elevators wherein the side and rear walls of the elevator shaft are provided with struck-out flanges defining rack members with which safety catches carried by the elevator car and suspension cable are adapted to be engaged should the cable break or if the elevator car is manually released in the elevator cage to move relative to the latter.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an elevator shaft constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 22 of Figure 1, showing the safety catches carried by the elevator car and cage in their retracted inoperative position relative to the elevator shaft;

Figure 3 is aside elevational view of the cage showing the safety catches;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view of the elevator shaft, cage and car and showing the rack formation in the elevator shaft Walls for cooperation with the safety catches carried by the elevator cage and car with the safety catches in inoperative position and the car elevated in the cage;

Figure 5 is a sectional view, similar to Figure 4, showing a broken cable and the car lowered in the cage with the safety catch engaged with the racks of the shaft wall; and

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing the manually operated device for retaining the elevator car raised in the elevator cage.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated an elevator shaft comprising a front wall H] having door openings H and. side and rear walls l2. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the side and rear walls of the elevator shaft have vertically spaced struck-out horizontally extending flanges i3 defining racks l4. s

The lift comprises a cage l5 and an inclosed car [6 movably mounted relative to the cage. The cage and car are of rectangular formation. The cage comprising a bottom I! and rear and side walls l8 and I9, being open at its front side while the carl6 has a bottom 20, a top wall 2i and side and rear walls 22.

The support for the elevator cage and car includes a suspension cable 23 extending from a winding drum and having extensions 23a leading to safety catches associated with the sides and rear of the cage and car. A plate 24 is hingedly mounted as at 25 at one end thereof adjacent the open side of the cage and car, the free end of the plate carrying an apertured lug 26 while upstanding apertured lugs 21 are carried by opposite side edges of the plate 24. A second pair of upstanding apertured lugs 28 rise from the plate 24 respectively adjacent and inwardly of the side lugs 21. An extension 29 is carried by the free end of the plate 24 outwardly of the lug 26, the same being bifurcated as at 30, shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 6, through which the upper end of a lever 3| is adapted to be projected with a cross head 23- on the upper end of the lever for holding the plate 24 substantially flatly engaged with the top 2| of the elevator car It. The lever 31 is pivotally mounted as at 33 and projects upwardly through a slotted opening 3 3 in the top wall 2| of the car and a hand loop 35 is formed at the lower end of the lever 3| within the elevator car for manual operation of the lever to release the plate 24 to permit pivotal mounting thereof for purposes presently to appear.

A pivotally mounted tensioned catch member is carried by the outer side of the rear and side walls I8 and 59 respectively of the cage adjacent the upper ends thereof and as shown in Figure 3, the catch member 36 is pivotally mounted at the lower end thereof as at 3? upon the bearing pin with which a coil spring 38 is associated for normally moving the upper end of the catch member 36 in an outward and downward direction. The catch member 36 intermediate its ends carries laterally directed serrated arms 39 and the upper terminal end of the catch member 36 is provided with an opening 40 therein through which one of the cable sections. 23a extendsfor attachment. A second pair of catch members is associated with the side and rear walls of the cage and car below the catch member 35 and as shown more clearly in Figures 4 and 5, each catch 4| of said pair is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends as at 42 upon a lug 43 projecting outwardly of the wall of the cage IS, the catch 4| extending through a slotted opening in the wall of the cage and being pivotally mounted at its inner end as at 44 upon the adjacent wall of the car It. A hook 45 is carried by the outer end of each catch 4!.

The normal position of the parts is illustrated in Figure 4, the cables 23a being engaged with the upper ends of the catch levers 36 and by being trained through the apertured lugs 26 and 21, the cage is supported and the car I6 is supported in an elevated position in the cage, the support for the car further being made by the additional cables 23b extending through the lugs 28 rising from the plate 24. Should the cable 23 break as illustrated in Figure 5, the tensioned catch levers 36 are swung outwardly on their pivotal mountings 31 for engagement with the racks M on the side walls of the elevator shaft, the elevator car l6 descending within the cage IE to the position shown in Figure 5 for moving the catch levers 43 on their pivotal mountings 42 to present the hooks 45 for engagement with the racks M for the safe support of the elevator cage and car and to prevent further descent thereof. Should the cable 23 remain in taut condition with the winding drum for the cable freely operating, the elevator may be brought to rest by the operator moving the lever 3| to disengage the cross head 32 from the bifurcated end of the hinged top plate 24, such movement permitting a pivotal descending movement of the elevator c'ar within the cage for the operation of the safety catches 4| catches 36. V I

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent and Whilethere isherein shown and. described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor'changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, and safety catches carried by the cage adapted for engagement with the shaft racks and engaged with the cable to be normally held in inoperative position, other safety catches carried by the cage and car, cooperating means carried by the cage and car for normally holding the car elevated in the cage and the last named catches inoperative and manually operable means in the car for separating the cooperating means whereby the car may descend within the cage'and the said catches rendered operable.

2. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, and safety catches carried by the cage adapted for engagement with the shaft racks and engaged with the cable to be normally held in inoperative position, other safety catches carried by the cage and car, cooperating means carried by the cage and car for normally holding the car elevated in the cage and the last named catches inoperative and manually operable means in the car for separating the cooperating means whereby the car may descend Within the cage and the said catches independently of the rendered operable, the cooperating means including a plate hinged to the top of the car, a pivoted lever carried by the car and engaged with the plate and the free end of the plate being attached to the suspension cable.

3. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, safety catches pivoted to the cage for engagement with the racks and attached to the cable for suspension, means pivotally carried by the car and attached to the cable for normally holding the car elevated in the cage, catches cooperatively carried by the cage and car for engagement with the racks, and manually operated means within the car for effecting pivotal movement of the aforesaid means to permit lowering movement of the car in the cage for operation of the last named catches.

4. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, safety catches pivoted to the cage for engagement with the racks, and attached to the cable for suspension, means pivotally carried by the car and attached to the cable for normally holding the car elevated in the cage, catches cooperatively carried by the cage and car for engagement with the racks, and manually operated means within the car for effecting pivotal movement of the aforesaid means to permit lowering movement of the car in the cage for operation of the last named catches, said means comprising a plate hinged at one end to the top of the car, and apertured lugs carried by the plate through which the cables extend for attachment to the first named catches.

5. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, safety catches pivoted to the cage for engagement with the racks and attached to the cable for suspension, means pivotally carried by the car and attached to the cable for normally holding thecar elevated in the cage, catches cooperatively carried by the cage and car for engagement with the racks, and manually operated means within the car for effecting pivotal movement of the aforesaid means to permit lowering movement of the car in the cage for operation of the last named catches, the first named catches each comprising a lever tensioned at its pivotal mounting and lateral catch arms adjacent the upper ends of the lever.

6. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, safety catches pivoted to the cage for engagement with the racks, and attached to the cable for suspension, means pivotally carried by the car and attached to the cable for normally holding the car elevated in the cage, catches cooperatively carried by the cage and car for engagement with the racks, and manually operated means within the car for effecting pivotal movement of the aforesaid means to permit lowering movement of the car in the cage for operation of the last named catches, said means comprising a plate hinged at one end to the top of the car, and apertured lugs carried by the plate through which the cables extend for attachment to the first named catches, the first named catches each comprising a lever tensioned at its pivotal mounting and lateral catch arms adjacent the upper ends of the lever.

7. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, safety catches pivoted to the cage for engagement with the racks and attached to the cable for suspension, means pivotally carried by the car and attached to the cable for normally holding the car elevated in the cage, catches cooperatively carried by the cage and car for engagement with the racks, and manually operated means within the car for effecting pivotal movement of the aforesaid means to permit lowering movement of the car in the cage for operation of the last named catches, and the last named catches comprising levers pivoted intermediate their ends to the cage and pivoted at their inner ends to the car.

8. In an elevator safety device, the combination with a shaft having racks, of a cage and car vertically movable in the shaft, a cable for the suspension of the cage and car, safety catches pivoted to the cage for engagement with the racks and attached to the cable for suspension, means pivotally carried by the car and attached to the cable for normally holding the car elevated in the cage, catches cooperatively carried by the cage and car for engagement with the racks, and manually operated means within the car for effecting pivotal movement of the aforesaid means to permit lowering movement of the car in the cage for operation of the last named catches, said means comprising a plate hinged at one end to the top of the car, and apertured lugs carried by the plate through which the cables extend for attachment to the first named catches, and the last named catches comprising levers pivoted intermediate their ends to the cage and pivoted at their inner ends to the car.

ALFONSO PORCELLI. 

